American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) Position Increased by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG) by 16.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,973 shares of the insurance provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,734 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in American Financial Group were worth $1,621,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of American Financial Group during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in American Financial Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in American Financial Group by 44.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 433 shares of the insurance provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of American Financial Group by 200.0% in the second quarter. nVerses Capital LLC now owns 600 shares of the insurance provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $85,000. 64.37% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.6 %

AFG stock opened at $139.91 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $138.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $132.22. The company has a market capitalization of $11.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.11 and a beta of 0.82. American Financial Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $115.64 and a 52 week high of $150.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The insurance provider reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.51 by ($0.20). American Financial Group had a return on equity of 19.97% and a net margin of 10.84%. The firm had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that American Financial Group, Inc. will post 10.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a None dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $4.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This is a boost from American Financial Group’s previous None dividend of $1.00. American Financial Group’s payout ratio is 29.99%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on AFG shares. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on American Financial Group from $135.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th.

American Financial Group Company Profile

American Financial Group, Inc, an insurance holding company, provides specialty property and casualty insurance products in the United States. The company offers property and transportation insurance products, such as physical damage and liability coverage for buses and trucks, inland and ocean marine, agricultural-related products, and other commercial property and specialty transportation coverages; specialty casualty insurance, including primarily excess and surplus, executive and professional liability, general liability, umbrella and excess liability, and specialty coverage in targeted markets, as well as customized programs for small to mid-sized businesses and workers’ compensation insurance; and specialty financial insurance products comprising risk management insurance programs for lending and leasing institutions, fidelity and surety products, and trade credit insurance.